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Hi everyone - I am hoping that someone will be able to help with some research I am doing for a novel. The novel is the fourth in a series of crime mysteries, set in the late 1960s in Sussex, England.

I was wondering about the operation of signals at that time and in that location. How did the unmanned railway crossings operate? What made the barriers open and close? Was it an automatic connection for another barrier further up the line?

Hi Isabella. I hope someone with specialist knowledge of the subject can supply you with the details you need relative to Sussex lines in the late 1960s. But for some general background there is lots of info on Wikipedia – look for "Level crossings in the United Kingdom".

Even today, quite a lot of unmanned/unautomated crossing are operated by the user. There are quite a few categories, but UWC (User Worked Crossing) is the the most basic. It just relies on people keeping a good look out for trains.

Once you come away from cities and urban sprawl, it's quite common for farmers, walkers, etc to operate their own gated crossing. Particularly on rural lines.

As to gated crossings, I think in the early sixties there would have been a crossing keeper. On quiet lines they'd live in a house next to the line and come out when needed, and on busy lines there would be a box with a permanent signaller.

Some people on here are from the south east (I used to live in Tonbridge), so if you want to be more specific about the lines and locations we might be able to give a more specific answer.

The line I am looking at for my story is the one that runs through Pevensey Bay (between Bexhill and Eastbourne). There is a part of it that runs close to the beach (Herbrand Walk) and I think until recently there was an unmanned crossing there. If anyone knows anything about the history of this line - in the late 1960s, early 1970s, that would be brilliant! Thanks again